Aircraft in flight are commonly refueled from a refueling aircraft. Many refueling aircraft use a system of fixed and extendable tubing, often referred to as a refueling boom, for refueling a receiving aircraft. Typically, an operator in the refueling aircraft controls the refueling boom into alignment with the receiving aircraft, either visually or with the assistance of camera equipment. The refueling boom typically has control surfaces (fins or airfoils) to allow the refueling operator to “fly” the refueling boom into engagement with a refueling receptacle on the receiving aircraft. A distal end of the refueling boom may be extendable to allow the operator to extend the refueling boom into engagement with the refueling receptacle. Examples of prior art aerial refueling systems include those systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,525 B1 issued to Schroeder, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,933 B1 issued to von Thal et al.
Although desirable results have been achieved using such prior art systems, there is room for improvement. For example, as the refueling boom is being positioned for insertion into the refueling receptacle on the receiving aircraft, the refueling boom may inadvertently contact portions of the receiving aircraft other than the refueling receptacle. Such inadvertent contacts may result in damage to the receiving aircraft and to the refueling boom. Existing devices for absorbing boom forces that may be exerted between the refueling aircraft and the receiving aircraft through the boom are typically configured to operate when such forces reach relatively high magnitudes (e.g. several thousand pounds of compression force) and are intended to avert potentially extreme or catastrophic events. Such existing devices do not alleviate damages that may result from relatively lower magnitude forces that result from relatively normal, incidental contacts between the boom and the receiving aircraft that typically occur in day-to-day aerial refueling operations.